Collin County Living Well Magazine Summer 2014 | Page 15

“Bye-Bye”
Summer Blues
By Maria Flaquer, M.D.,
and Robert Holtz, D.O.

A

h, the signs of warmweather days to come
are making their debut:
budding trees, pops of
colorful flowers, and a
plethora of strollers. Such indicators
of warm, sunny days ahead usually
mean an end to winter hibernation and
a feeling of the seasonal blues. But for
many seniors, the onset of Texas heat
can bring its own isolating affect.
The summer blues can be just as
much a reality as the winter doldrums
for seniors who feel the need to stay
out of the heat for health or other reasons. More than a little cabin fever,
the summer or winter blues can turn
into what’s referred to as seasonal
affective disorder (SAD). SAD is considered to be a mood disorder in which
people who have normal mental health
throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the summer or winter. Summer depression can
begin in late spring or early summer
and last into fall.
“Nationally, about one-third of
seniors experience some form of depression in their lifetime,” says Maria
Flaquer, M.D., of Crescent Family
Medicine in Allen. “Some seniors experience a serious mood change when
the seasons change. They may sleep
too much, have little energy and may
also feel depressed. The condition in
the summer can be heightened by the
anxiety of being shut in and undersocialized when the sun is shining and
the sky is clear.”

How To Stave Off
the Seasonal Doldrums
Summertime heat doesn’t have to
put a damper on your activity level and
ability to be connected to the outside

world. It’s important to stay engaged,
even if this means picking up the
phone instead of the car keys or walking cane. Maybe it’s time to find an
indoor hobby, a card game to play with
nearby friends or an excuse to learn
how to Skype with family members.
If you are an avid volunteer in your
church or a local organization, help
by putting flyers in envelopes instead
of being the meet-and-greeter at an
upcoming event. You can feel just as
useful from your kitchen table when
the thermometer is on the rise.

Know the Signs
of Depression
“An important step in combating depression no matter what its cause is to
recognize it when it occurs,” according
to Robert Holtz, D.O., of Main Street
Family Physicians in Frisco. “Many
seniors don’t feel comfortable with the
concept that they might be depressed.
As a physician, I’m especially on the

Here are some others ways to
help prevent the onset of
seasonal affective disorder:
• Try to spend some amount of
time outside every day, even
if it’s just a few minutes on a
covered porch.
• Eat a well-balanced diet and
include sufficient amounts of
vitamins and minerals as recommended by your doctor. This
will help you boost your energy
level.
• Try exercising (indoors or out)
for 30 minutes a day, three
times a week.

lookout for signs of mood problems
when the ͕